A Second Chance
by The Lady M
Summary: Seiftis. Squinoa. (Titile may be changed later). What if? What if they had all died at the end? But what if they got another chance? Game was rated teen so...you get the picture. Not too much suspense ^.^ You'll understand if you read it. PLEASE READ!
1. Cue Lost Battle Music

(A/N: OK, no one hate me or anything, but. . .I tweaked the ending a tad bit [OK not a /tad/, a lot]. When I started writing this story, it was before I'd finished the game so I thought Edea played a MUCH bigger role. But anyway, it's after they defeat Ultimecia and somehow [don't ask how], Edea and Seifer end up being there when she was destroyed. Just try and accept it and we'll all get along. ^.^ This story is mainly a Seiftis and Squinoa, but it has some Selvine and Zell/Claire [library girl] in it. It's gonna be kinda sad in the first chapter or so (I think), but bear with it. And, they won't be dead for long. ;-) This is non-yaoi/yuri also. So if you like that kind of stuff, TURN AWAY NOW!!!! One last note, PLEASE read and review!!!! To salvage my precious ego, please R&R! Thanx :) P.S. Characters' thoughts are in between *asterisks*.) Disclaimer: I own nothing. You hear that? NOTHING!!!! And if I did own them I probably wouldn't be here writing. I'd be out spending my fortune. The only characters /I/ own are various teachers/extras that don't really matter. I owe the plot idea to ChristineCS and her fic for the movie Moulin Rouge called "Play it Again". Thanks a bunch to all!  
  
Chapter One: Cue Lost Battle Music  
  
With his last dying strength, Seifer could see everyone dead. Squall and everyone had defeated Ultimecia, but in the process, sacrificed themselves. The reverberations and radiation from when she had died had an effect that was murderous. He viewed the scene before him with sadness. Squall and Rinoa lay sprawled next to each other. She had finally broken down the walls guarding his emotions and this is how she was rewarded. Zell lay near them, body twisted in a strange angle, his eyes clouded over. So smitten with that one girl from the library, what was her name? He even put down his hotdog for her. . .once. Selphie and Irvine next, their spilt blood merged with the horrible fight that they had won, but yet lost in such an awful way. Seifer then moved on to the next person. Edea. His Matron, his mother, his mistress and he, her knight. His mind clouded with possession and false promises, he had blindly followed her. Her bright, golden eyes were dulled now with the magic that had been thrown at her with vengeance. The knight then set his eyes upon the last person there. She had taught him, and he had failed. But she was his all the same. Her beautiful, golden hair stained red with blood. All of their blood. A gaping wound in her chest that still was giving out more of her life source. With his last, dying strength, Seifer rasped out the name of the only person he had ever really and truly loved: "Quistis...," and he joined the rest of them.  
  
Hyne studied the setting before her. So sad. All of them gone so early in their prime. They didn't deserve this. They all had so much potential. All of them fighters of the best kind. Hyne looked at the Commander and sorceress before her. That girl was the kind that the others were trained to fight, yet had kept it secret and stayed with them. And that Commander! He was so cold on the outside it almost seeped through to his heart. . .yet that girl had broken it and saved him before he turned into a male Shiva.  
  
The deity looked at the next person, following Seifer's train of thought. That poor boy. That poor, energetic, temperamental boy. He was great at fighting, and in today's world he could get pretty far with anger. So in love with food though. . .and that girl. *I thought she might sway his thoughts from food for awhile*, Hyne smiled.  
  
Next that flirty cowboy and that sprightly girl. She was definitely enough to keep him in line. He had his good points though. They both did. He was sensitive and always the charmer, she was always happy and lively in a good way, always organizing things to make others happy. Just the right amount of sunshine that Commander needed in his life no matter how annoying he might find her. And that man helped them all remember what it was like when they were growing up. *That was about enough to complicate their situation to a fuller extent, but they needed to find out sometime*, Hyne pondered.  
  
Then the sorceress. Their Matron. The Headmaster's wife and the only mother they had all known. It was all so complicated. She was possessed, yes, but they couldn't kill her. She had too much meaning to them all. They could never kill her, just damage her powers. Their mother, gone.  
  
The ex-Instructor. Now she was a case now wasn't she? First of all, a child wonder, becoming a SeeD and Instructor very early in life. *She had to grow up too fast. She didn't get to really enjoy being a child that long*, Hyne thought. Then in love (so she thought) with the Commander. He was so cold to her and she was just being friendly! Then, she watched the young sorceress crack his shell in a snap! *How depressing*. Later denying that what she really felt was love (but it was for awhile), and being all alone. She had lost her Instructor's license, her love, and hope. *She never told anyone that she was so depressed. . .Hid under cynicism. . .Oh!* Hyne gasped as she saw another part of the blonde she hadn't told anyone. *So she fancied the knight, huh? Well, well, well. My dear girl, if you'd have only told him, you would have found out he loved you too.*  
  
Which brought her to the last member of the group before her. The knight. So much a little boy inside still. Wanting love and someone to care for him. Not having parents will probably do that to you. Like the ex- Instructor, hiding behind something. Pride. Something he did very well. *He fooled everyone into believing he couldn't care... I just wish he'd have told that girl what he felt! They'd have made a great couple. Her, keeping him from being too arrogant. Him, keeping her from getting too boring or joyless.*  
  
Hyne's mind was a-plotting away. What if she gave them one more chance? It couldn't hurt. And really, who could stop her? The deity rubbed her hands together and got up from her throne. The crystals that made up the majority of it crinkled and cracked when she rose. Her dress flowed out behind her, a dawn colored material with all of the hues melded together like the sunrise itself, as she walked to the edge of the sky and snatched up the bodies littered around the battlefield.  
  
*This is the hard part*, she said as she searched for a time for them. Finally she found it. *Ah, perfect.* She set the bodies in the air and said the spell over them.  
  
Lions tamed with a flutter of Wings,  
  
Sunshine loving the Remembering,  
  
Books win over the Food King,  
  
And they all must go on living.  
  
Presidents go on their journeys as before,  
  
Singers shall sing, but another wins more.  
  
A small child is left in a downpour,  
  
And the coldness surrounds him forevermore.  
  
Soon now though, it shall be found,  
  
Fire and Ice collide on battleground,  
  
Only to create love's harmonious sound,  
  
And even to them, the truth will astound.  
  
Fire and the Icy rain,  
  
You are going back again.  
  
Go, my children, go, obtain  
  
The chances you lost and now will regain.  
  
She blew the lot into the swirling pool of time that had slowly appeared while she was chanting. Her breath came out in colors, the orange glow of life, the pink tinge of flesh, the deep reds of personalities, the yellow of growth, and leaving them, the icy blue and shadow-like black of death left them. The life forces wrapped themselves around the band like soft silk, gentle at first, then in an instant, tightening around them and swirling them faster and faster into the dark, deep hole of time. And then, they were gone. *Well, I guess it's all up to them now*, Hyne thought, sitting down on her throne again. *They just better get it right this time.*  
  
(A/N: Yeah, that's my interpretation of Hyne. If you have problems with my depiction of Hyne, I would have to say to you people: Deal with it. I'm not gonna change Hyne just for one person so just deal. No offense meant. Now, on with the show. As I said in the beginning, please R/R. But please don't flame. Constructive criticism is accepted, but don't be too harsh. I'm new so be nice! Well. . .should I keep it? Should I destroy it? Should I send it to story hell? Please tell me! Oh and everyone at the Seiftis Forever Message Board: I would /love/ to hear from ya'll! I'm registered on there as Megs1101QSF so if you see me, tell me how you thought it was please!) 


	2. Scars and Fire

(A/N: I made up new names for everyone so here are some of the names, their derivations, and what they mean. Quistis: Gwen= Intellectual, with understanding-Celtic Squall: León= Lion-like- French [pronounced lay-ohn instead of lee-on; kinda like the Spanish way to say lion] Seifer: Geoffrey or Geoff= Chivalrous; brave- Teutonic [OK, the deal with this name is that knights were supposed to be chivalrous and brave and this name means that so. . .you get it]  
  
Yeah, I admit, some of the names are kinda corny, but did you really want Seifer to be named Percy instead of Geoff? It's the only thing I can find that means knightly!!!! No offense meant to any Percys out there. I also have names for basically everyone else and you'll get them at the beginning of the chapter in which they appear. Dr. Kadowaki is keeping her name cause she doesn't really appear that often anyway. For the names of cities and last names, I just mixed the letters around. And, as always, some things will be either different or taken out. I don't exactly think people of today have GFs. If I get something wrong about the military and how they operate, I'm telling you now: the heck if I know anything about the military! I've never been in the military and I don't especially plan on pursuing a career there either. And here we go!)  
  
Chapter Two: Scars and Fire  
  
A fight had broken out. Again. It was quite common and was expected at least once a week. Almost a form of entertainment to the rest of the crew. And now they were duking it out again. Gwen didn't understand why they never got along. They were a lot alike, they just didn't realize it. The two infamous enemies, León and Geoff, had quite a past if you looked at it. Growing up together, always fighting even then, entering the same Military Academy, getting taught by the same teachers. . .pretty much together for most of the day. *Then again, who wouldn't get tired of seeing the same person over and over and over, day after day after day?* Gwen thought.  
  
*I can't watch anymore. They'll both end up in the Infirmary like last time,* Gwen said as she walked away from the crowd that had surrounded the two men. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT could be heard across the whole camp. But the two certain persons doing the fighting couldn't hear it for the angry pound of blood in their ears. Both were ready to use any means to get the other to give up. So far León had a bloody nose and lip and many bruises around his ribs. Geoff on the other hand had only a split lip, black eye, and bruises around his ribs.  
  
Their adrenaline pumped through their veins, their heartbeats quickened with exertion, their breath grew shorter and their lungs constricted with the effort to take another breath. *This is it,* they both thought at the same time. Geoff knocked León down again as they both took out their last resort. Switchblades. They charged at the same time and swung the blades. Geoff diagonally down right. León diagonally up right. They both missed their target. Sort of. They were aiming for an arm or hand but they both got each other's foreheads. (A/N: This sound familiar, eh?)  
  
Suddenly, before the two blacked out from pain, surprise, and hitting the ground, images flashed in front of their eyes. A woman. . .wearing all black with an elaborate headdress. Evil eyes flashed golden from the dim light that shone upon her from a skylight. And just as soon as it had appeared, it was replaced by another. Another woman. Younger, their age or so. Dressed in a blue duster with wings on the back. . .in a flower field. And, like the one before it, the image was gone before the two young men could even process it in their tired and hurting brains. And they collapsed.  
  
"Somebody call the doctor! Stop the blood from flowing! Apply pressure!" A person screamed over the din that had built up while the two were fighting. While there was a jumble of people doing different things pertaining to those orders, a short, plump woman pushed her way through the crowd.  
  
"Move aside! Go, move! To your barracks! NOW! OK, you two help me get /these/ two in the Infirmary. Oh, I just /knew/ it was going to happen again! I just /knew/ it! They just can't keep their tempers can they? /Nnnooooo/ they can't!" the woman shouted while helping to move the unconscious men to the makeshift hospital. She put them on separate ends of the room (if that was what you could call it) and tended the bleeding gashes on their foreheads.  
  
"Hmm. Not deep enough to need stitches. . .better just clean them and put bandages on them. . .yes, that'll do," the doctor talked to herself. After tending to the men before her, she went to the unofficial desk at the opening of the Infirmary. After awhile, one of the two patients stirred from their sick-bed.  
  
"Where am I?" Geoff mumbled, blinking his eyes several times to get used to the bright light coming in through an opening.  
  
"Well, if you must know, you are in the Infirmary after a fight with León over here and you have a nasty gash across your forehead that was caused by his switchblade," the doctor at the other end of the room said without looking up from what she was doing. The tall blonde man rose to a sitting position on his cot while the doctor came over and inspected him.  
  
"Well, I think you're going to be OK, Geoff. You just need to keep this bandage on here and stop fighting for awhile. We're almost thinking of making a Frequent Patient Visits club in honor of you. Did you know that in one month I've seen you almost twelve times?"  
  
"What would I get for free if I wanted to cash my visits in though?" Geoff smirked while Dr. Kadowaki reapplied his bandage. She smiled.  
  
"You would get the grand pleasure of helping me clean bedpans and sterilize utensils."  
  
"I think I'll just keep collecting, doc," Geoff answered with a laugh.  
  
"OK, Geoff you're free to go. But if I see you in here one more time this month, I will make you clean bedpans, get it?" the doctor said.  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Good. Now don't you have a class to go to?" Dr. Kadowaki said shooing the tall man out. After he was out of sight, she sat back down at her desk and set her eyes on the glowing computer screen in front of her. Oh, the thousands of medical records she could access right at her fingertips. She searched for Geoff's file and typed in another visit on his record. Soon, she heard rustling from another cot. She went over to the occupant just as he opened his eyes.  
  
"Well, are you alright then?" she asked the man. He blinked a few times and nodded his head silently. He also rose from his reclining position and fingered the bandage on his forehead.  
  
"What's this?" he asked quietly.  
  
"/That/ is a present from Geoff. I'll tell you now, that he was just as happy as you to receive the same gift. Here, let me put a fresh bandage on it," Dr. Kadowaki said, taking León's hand off the gauze. After she finished dressing the would again, León tried to get up.  
  
"Oh no you don't! You're going to stay right here until I can dress that again. Yours is a bit deeper than Geoff's. Just lay back down and rest for a bit," the woman pushed him back down and walked off to her desk. León just sighed and laid back down. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep or do something useful but he couldn't. He opened his eyes again and glanced over to his right. He thought he saw a brief flash of a girl in a blue shirt, white skirt, and a green shawl waving at him, but the thought of someone actually being there, bounced off his brain and he regarded it as a figment of his tired brain at work.  
  
Just then, a woman entered the infirmary. She looked at the man laying down a few yards from her, shook her head, and sighed. This was where she knew they'd end up. Good thing she'd called Dr. Kadowaki when she had left the fight. They'd both still be there with bunches of frantic people running around them not sure of what to do. Everyone had to take basic first aid. It just seemed they didn't remember it when a situation arose. She started walking over to the man. Her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, the army pants she wore rode low on her hips, and a white tank completed her look. Basic uniform for unofficial occasions.  
  
"Why don't you just walk away from him like I tell you to? You know he's just a bunch of hot air when he teases you like that," Gwen sat on the cot beside him. The object the conversation was aimed at didn't respond, but looked at her with a Yeah, right look on his face.  
  
"It might work sometimes. Anyway, I've got a class to teach and you are in it. C'mon, it's starting soon. Doc," she said to the woman seated at the desk, "I'm gonna take this one to class, OK?"  
  
"Fine Gwen, just let me change his bandage." When the doctor was done, the two people walked out of the Infirmary into the glaring sunlight outside. León followed Gwen to the large building that served as the gym and classrooms for the learning bunches.  
  
Gwen got special privileges since she had a higher rank. As a Colonel, she could teach classes and train the rest of them. Yes, at age 18, right out of high school and accelerated college courses, Gwen was already a colonel. *She always was a go-getter.*  
  
"Alright, let's begin," Gwen said taking a seat in a chair facing a group of around seven other people. León took a seat at the back. "Today's just a review, you all know this stuff. Yes, you know what I'm talking about. A timed obstacle course." A groan emanated from the seven other occupants of the room.  
  
"Why do we have to do another one? We just had one last week! And they're always in the worst places!" a student whined.  
  
"Well, would you rather clean bedpans with Dr. Kadowaki? She's been looking for an assistant," Gwen answered. Her pupils quieted extremely fast. "That's what I thought. Now, this obstacle course is a bit harder. It's in the Fire Cavern. Yeah, yeah, I know (the students were griping again)." *This shouldn't be too hard,* León thought.  
  
"Alright. We will start the training in about an hour, you have the rest of this time to relax or prepare yourselves. Meet me by the front gate at 1100 hours. Dismissed," Gwen said. "Oh, and Geoff and León: I remind you that it is not good to wound someone who is on /your/ side, even in training." At that, Geoff got up and walked out in a huff. He paused by Gwen to give her an evil glare and pushed past her.  
  
"León, you should go to your barracks and rest or do something that doesn't have any involvement with Geoff," Gwen warned León over the heads of her fan club. The were the avid fans of Gwen Tepre. They called themselves the Gwennies or the Tepries. (A/N: Bet you wondered how I was gonna fit that in there, huh?)  
  
León exited the classroom, dodging the horde of students wanting to talk to their idol. He was just about to reach the gray colored buildings known as the barracks, when he bumped into a small brunette girl.  
  
"Hi! I'm from the base in Rabiat! Can you show me around? I don't know much about this base. It's so much bigger than our base! Wow, look at that Rec Room! It's huge!" The girl babbled along happily as León showed her to the different places of their base.  
  
"Wow, I didn't know that the Abmbal base was this big! Rabiat is just so small compared to here! I might switch here ya know! Ooh! That means I can organize parties!" The girl shrieked at the opportunity of a party to plan. León reeled back at the shrill sound. The girl ran off to most likely start planning. León shook his head and walked off to his barracks.  
  
The grey colored buildings loomed in the distance. Rows upon rows of grey. There were, of course, separate sections for the men and women. The generals didn't trust anyone well enough to keep their, erm, "cravings" to themselves. There were night guards at the gate separating the two sections of barracks so it was almost impossible to get into either without written permission.  
  
León went to his barracks and to his bunk and changed into his "workout clothes" as he called them. Threadbare, graying, and ugly. But extremely comfortable. He put on the white t-shirt and gray sweat pants and walked to the dark blue sign over the entrance of the base. There, he found Gwen and the rest of the class. To his dismay, Geoff was there too. They started walking to the cave a good way in the distance.  
  
"Alright everyone, this /is/ timed. I will be waiting for you at the exit. Cardboard cutouts will occasionally pop out at you, shoot at them. This is training. There are also occasional fire spurts too, so be really careful. They're not too harmful. You'll hear a bit of warning before they spurt. Aaaannnnnd. . .GO!" Gwen said while starting a stopwatch. "You have twenty minutes! Use it wisely!"  
  
León was through the maze-like obstacle course before anyone else. Geoff was next. The rest of the class followed. Everyone except the two ones were panting like they had been holding their breath for the whole twenty minutes. No one was burned though, only slightly toasted in places.  
  
"Good job everyone. Now head back to the base. León," Gwen said while most everyone walked back to the base to rest, "go back, eat something, and change into your uniform. Meet me at the front gate at 1200 hours." León nodded and walked off. Meanwhile, Gwen turned to the only remaining student in her group. "Geoff, you do the same. We're going on a mission. Now you have a bit more responsibility. . ."  
  
(A/N: Well, since I guess you're beginning to see the direction of this fic, I guess there won't be much suspense, huh? So, now that you've read more, should I keep doing it? If I don't get any reply to this, I /will/ destroy it. I guess you're also wondering how I'm going to turn this into a Seiftis since the game is so majorly a Squinoa, huh? Well keep reading! BWAHAHAHAHA! *Starts coughing* cough cough...sorry bout that! ^.^ Anyway, R&R!) 


	3. The Mission

(A/N: To those who reviewed: You don't know how happy you've made me! I practically started crying! I didn't think anyone would review this! I would be happy to read anyone's stories, so just tell me if you want me to read them. Quycksylver: I can't write poetry worth a crap, that was just the most creative spurt I've had in a long time along with the help of a handy rhyming dictionary. ^.^ Here's the names of the people appearing in the next chap.  
  
Zell: Reece [this /is/ a guy's name]= Enthusiastic- Welsh  
  
Library Girl: Claire= Illustrious- Latin  
  
Headmaster Cid: General Richard Merark= Stern, but just- Teutonic  
  
Selphie: Solana= Sunshine- Spanish [She's always being compared to sunshine so I thought this was proper]  
  
Biggs, Wedge, and Xu: Keeping the names they have [I'm not /that/ creative]  
  
Any suggestions, don't hesitate to tell me! And the disclaimer I wrote at the beginning is applying to all the chapters from now on. Also, if you know what the little asterisks and other stuff mean in the middle of words, well then good for you.)  
  
Chapter Three: The Mission  
  
"Why do you work with the doctor? Why aren't you a fighter like me? Then we could work together," Reece said slyly to Claire, while she was sorting files for Dr. Kadowaki.  
  
"You know I hate fighting! I get enough action in here when wounded people come in and-" she paused when an announcement was heard over the loudspeakers.  
  
"Will Reece Thidcn (A/N: I had no idea what to put, just pretend it's Welsh like his name!) please report to the front gate please. Repeat Reece Thidcn." Reece sighed, another feeble attempt at winning Claire, gone.  
  
"I'll be back, I guess they must need me for something," he said and ran off. Reece, in his earlier years had been a flawless gymnast. He could do back flips out the wazoo and it helped when he was working out. He liked boxing too, but hadn't been able to do much of it since he joined the army. Whenever he got the chance he would practice what he remembered of the trade and shadow boxed. The rest of the world would slip away and he would be with himself and the imaginary opponent before him.  
  
But then usually someone would yell at him to stop and sit down and it would all go away. He dealt with it.  
  
He had some extra energy to burn off. He shadow boxed his way to the front gate and right before he got there, he did a couple back flips to burn it all off. He was always good at making grand entrances.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
León had changed into his uniform like Gwen had told him to and was waiting with her for the rest of their party when a very hyperactive man back flipped up to them and sauntered over like he did this every day.  
  
"Hi there, name's Reece, nice to meet ya!" the guy said enthusiastically shaking León's hand. León didn't say anything. *This guy is waaay too hyper* he thought to himself. Reece though, just kept on talking and León ignored him in his ever-present, great-to-be-around attitude as usual.  
  
"This is gonna be a mission right? Well, I bet it'll be fun. Haven't had one myself in a long time, how about you? Hmm, not a big talker, huh? Well, we'll just have to work around that won't we? Do you know if the cafeteria is serving hotdogs anymore? Cause whenever I go over there, none are left. I think it's a conspiracy." He paused when he saw another tall figure coming over to their group.  
  
"Oh, hell. Not /him/! I hate this guy. He's always making fun of everyone and he thinks he's better than all of us! Well, I'll show him, just give me some metal boxing gloves and-"  
  
"Reece, you shouldn't talk about your team captain like that," Gwen said sweetly. *I couldn't resist telling them. Oh, this is gonna be fun!* she thought, trying to hide her smile.  
  
"WHAT?!" Reece screamed. León screamed the same thing but internally. He wasn't much of one to display outward emotions. His eyes just widened a bit and his jaw flapped open.  
  
"Yep, that's right boys. I'm gonna be your captain for the next hour or two! Oh, the things I could make you do under my control! Hahaha! It's almost too good to be true!" Geoff grinned evilly, coming up to the group.  
  
"Oh, the things I'd do-" Reece growled.  
  
"What'sa matter Chicken-Wuss, scared of me?" Geoff said while getting a wave of deja vu.  
  
"OK, both of you stop," a male voice said from behind them.  
  
"General," they all stood at attention and saluted.  
  
"At ease men. . .and woman," General Richard Merark smiled at the people before him. "Your mission today will be to relieve a city, specifically Tollde City from the Dalgabian army. Xu will brief you on the ride there. More troops are being sent in other ships. Dismissed," and he walked away.  
  
"That is your mission, you guys. I'll be helping and watching you to see if some of you can move up a rank or two. Come on, we have to hurry there," Gwen said while walking to the car awaiting them under the yellow colored sign that said: Parking Lot. They all got in with only a little griping on Reece's part at being seated next to Geoff and then they were off to Abmbal City. When they reached the city, the group walked to the dock on the far side of the city and boarded a ship they were borrowing from the Navy and started to move northwest to the town of Tollde.  
  
"I'm kinda nervous about this. It's a real big mission, ya know," Reece made an attempt to start a conversation.  
  
"Just don't piss your pants, Chicken-Wuss," Geoff said. Reece was about to get up and punch Geoff, but Gwen restrained him.  
  
León's mind wandered. He thought back to his time in the Infirmary. Had he really seen a girl there?  
  
"Are you spacing out?" Geoff asked him.  
  
"No, I was thinking about when I was in the Infirmary. I think I saw a girl there."  
  
"Oh, man. I get stuck with a Chicken-Wuss and guy who just hit puberty in my squad! Ain't that right Puberty Boy?"  
  
"Alright, everyone stop. I'm getting tired of all of you fighting all the time," Gwen yelled at them, exasperation evident in her voice.  
  
Soon, Reece got up and began to shadow box while everyone inwardly groaned. *Does he ever stop?* León said to himself.  
  
"Chicken-Wuss, sit down!" Geoff said sounding very peeved. He pulled the other man down to his seat while Reece looked like he was about to hit him. Gwen chose this time to speak.  
  
"Well, this is a big mission, you guys, so good luck."  
  
"I hate it when people wish me good luck Gwen," Geoff said to the woman in front of him. "Save it for people who need it."  
  
"OK then, good luck Geoff," Gwen smiled back. Geoff gave her an icy glare, but before he could retort back, Xu came into their compartment.  
  
"Hello everyone. Alright, for the past 72 hrs., Tollde City has been attacked by the Dalgabian army. After 49 hrs. from outbreak of the war, the city of Tollde has been evacuated. At present, the people are hurrying to take refuge at the outlying of mountainous areas. The troops will disembark from Kubutan Beach. Eliminate any enemy soldiers. You are asked to penetrate through the city and eliminate any enemy troops you find. AIM: To wipe out any remaining enemy soldiers. You must keep them from activating the communications system. Do well." And with that, she left them again. (A/N: I took that right from the online walkthrough so just to tell you, I didn't write it ^.^)  
  
"Alright everyone, we're almost there. Are you all loaded?" Gwen asked the group before her. They were all ready. She had taught them well. "We're nearing the beach so be ready to shoot at whatever isn't on your side, got it? Remember Geoff and León, anyone who /isn't/ on your side," she teased them. Geoff's face got a bit red and León stayed the same. *Does he ever smile?* Gwen wondered.  
  
The beach loomed in the distance as the boats got closer and closer. León put a clear map over a map of the beach and marked out his destination. The communications tower was at the top of a large hill with a big huge satellite dish spurting from a pole. Very hard /not/ to miss. Suddenly, they felt the bump of the ship against the sand.  
  
Everything disappeared as León's soldier instinct kicked in. Kill, complete mission, destroy enemy. That was the only thing running through his mind as he jumped out of the ship and onto the beach. He shot down a few troops running towards him, the blood pumping through his ears, his adrenaline soaring, his breath shortening. Man, he loved to do this. Not so much the killing, but to feel that rush. It was exhilarating. "C'mon, this way!" he heard Geoff yelling his direction. León followed his captain and shot the soldier who had come up behind Geoff in the leg. He may hate the guy, but he couldn't let him die, or it would be his fault for not protecting him. His gun needed to be reloaded.  
  
"$#!%," León muttered while reloading his gun and running at the same time. It was a very difficult task, running and reloading at the same time. You had to make sure you didn't lose any bullets while also making sure you didn't trip on anything and fall flat on your face. He followed Geoff with Reece in tow behind him.  
  
They shot down a couple of Dalgabian soldiers from behind an overturned jeep. Before they left they found a first aid kit, a few magazines (A/N: If you're anything like me, when I heard this I thought they meant like a reading magazine, and you might think this too, but they actually mean a row of bullets), and a loaded gun on the KO'd soldiers. They left them and proceeded to the town square where they were supposed to wait for further orders.  
  
"OK, we're supposed to stop here," Geoff said. He waited a few more seconds and muttered, "This mission is pretty boring if you ask me." *Well, no one asked /you/* León said in his mind. If he had said it out loud, Geoff would've been beating his a$$ in a snap.  
  
They waited a bit more. Then Reece started his shadow boxing again. León let him. It wouldn't matter if he told him to stop or not. If he /did/ tell him to stop, Reece would try and begin a conversation with him. Either that or start fighting with Geoff. León just sat down and checked and rechecked his guns to see if they were loaded and ready to grab.  
  
"Da**it this is so boring! They could've at least told it was this boring so we could remember to bring something to entertain ourselves! This is ridiculous!" Geoff burst out after about ten minutes. They saw a dog walk into the middle of the square. It saw them and bounded over. It sniffed them all over and took a particular liking to Geoff. It's way of greeting him was to stick his nose into, um, Geoff's rear. (A/N: I'm writing the dog like my friend's dog. He actually /does/ stick his nose in your butt when you come in her house ^.^ He's sweet though)  
  
"Stupid butt-sniffin' dog! Get away from me you freakin' mongrel!" Geoff yelled at the dog. The dog, unfortunately, started to bark. He thought Geoff wanted to play.  
  
"Shut up! Idiotic dog! Get!" Geoff yelled at it. Suddenly, six soldiers ran across the square. Geoff, disregarding his commands to stay put, ran after them. *If I get demoted, it's all his fault* León thought, shaking his head.  
  
"Should we go after him?" Reece asked coming out of his own little boxing universe.  
  
"I guess that would be best. We can't let him get killed or we'll have to haul his sad carcass back to camp. He went this way, towards the Communications Tower," León started after his reckless captain.  
  
The pair crossed the bridge ahead of them and started to climb the crumbling stone stairs when Reece stopped and walked over to a slightly trembling bundle in a niche.  
  
"Hey, are you all right?" he asked the bundle which turned out to be a man.  
  
"I-I'm w-w-wounded. Help me!" the plea came from trembling lips. The old man turned to them more and they saw that he had a large gash in his leg. León drew in a sharp breath between his clenched teeth at the sight of the wound. He pulled out a first aid kit he had claimed from one of the fallen soldiers. León tried to remember what he needed to know from his first aid classes. The bad this was that the wound was bleeding quite a bit, and if León didn't hurry, the man would soon die of blood loss.  
  
"Uh, Reece, hold him down for me, OK," León whispered to the man beside him. "OK, sir, this is gonna hurt just a bit." León tore some material from the man's shirt and tied it around his leg to stop the blood flow.  
  
"Here, drink this. It'll numb the pain," León told the man, giving him a drought of nasty smelling liquid. "Uh, Command," León spoke into his walkie-talkie, "we have an injured civilian here if someone could come and take him to Kadowaki soon, thanks." He turned off the phone-like device and turned to the man. "Sir, we're gonna have someone try and pick you up so you can get the proper medical care, so just sit tight for awhile." At that, he left the man and followed the path to the Communications Tower.  
  
There, León saw Geoff hiding behind a rim of rocks, watching three Dalgabian soldiers standing around and talking. Reece and León joined him silently with only a glance from Geoff to signify that he was aware of their presence. The soldiers mumbled on and on for a few minutes and then went inside the Communications Tower. Geoff, in his ever-present gracefulness, stood, jumped over the rim of rocks onto the ground about three yards down, all the while though, not knowing there was that drop. He stood from his reclining position on his butt, dusted himself off, and ran after the soldiers.  
  
León sighed and watched their captain go after people they didn't need to go after. *Why does he do this?* he thought to himself. Suddenly, León and his companion heard a noise above and behind them. They turned, preparing for a fight, but were greeted by a girl in their uniform. She wasn't looking where she was going and slipped on some pebbles in front of her and fell down the slope in front of them. She looked up, dusted herself off, and winked.  
  
"Hi there! I'm Solana Mittilt! I'm from Squad A, but I got lost. Hey! I remember you!" she said enthusiastically at León. "You're the guy who showed me around! Thanks! I can find practically everything now." She looked around and obviously made an internal decision. Suddenly, she jumped off the cliff on the other side and landed on the gravel.  
  
She started to jump up and down and was smiling like she'd discovered the cure for the common cold. "C'mon you guys! Let's go kick some Dalgabian butt!" León walked down the other side of the cliff following her into the Tower. This would be a lot more entertaining then waiting.  
  
They had entered the Tower and they saw Geoff chasing a group of soldiers. He was going a different direction than them, so they just watched. It was very much like watching a wide-screen video. Almost cartoon-like. When Geoff passed, they continued on their way to the top of the tower. They reached the top and hid behind a pile of scrap metal.  
  
There were two soldiers there, and by their uniforms and badges, León could tell that one of them was a Major and one of them was only a Private. The Private went off to do something and the Major was left alone.  
  
León jumped out at him and shot his leg and before the other man could shoot at León in turn, Reece shot him in his other leg and knocked the Major out with one of the scrap pieces of metal. Reece and Solana went over to him and gave him some backup. All at once, the ground shook violently as the satellite was activated.  
  
"León, we've got company," Reece warned the man behind him. The Private had come back to report to his superior that the Communications Tower had been activated successfully. Seeing the three enemies before him, he tried to get his gun out. But before he could do anything Solana knocked him out with the piece of scrap metal.  
  
"That was easier than I expected it to be!" Solana said brightly. León and Reece looked at her as if to say 'Yeah, all you had to do was bonk him on the head!'  
  
"What?" Solana asked them, truly confused to why they were looking at her like that.  
  
"We'd better head back," Reece said. "We've got about half and hour to get to the beach before the ships leave." They headed out of the Tower and spotted Geoff heading back towards the beach. They went down the stairs and saw that the man had been picked up. They were heading across the bridge when they heard a rumbling coming towards them.  
  
It was a tank.  
  
"Aw, sh-" Reece began and started running as the large vehicle rolled in their direction. Solana had run as soon as the tank had come in sight. León ran after them.  
  
The tank followed them through the whole city, crushing anything in its path. It ran over a parked car as León turned a corner. He was in the town square again. And worse yet the dog was still there. *Oh, why me?* León thought as he chased the dog out of the way of the tank. He couldn't bear to see squashed dog in his mind for the rest of his life.  
  
He kept running towards the beach, the tank close behind him. León saw Solana and Reece reach the ship. Reece turned and spotted León.  
  
"C'mon!" he yelled and jumped on the ship himself. León didn't think he'd make it before the tank crushed him.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a machine gun spitting out bullets in his direction. They missed him though. He turned momentarily to see the tank being riddled with bullets. They were coming from the ship. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Gwen in the control room operating the machine gun. She was saving him.  
  
The only problem was, the ship was leaving the beach. And León wasn't on it.  
  
He reached the shoreline and jumped. He barely caught the end of the docking edge. He took a ragged breath and opened the door to the interior. When he got inside, he sat down on the floor and caught his breath.  
  
"León, are you all right?!" he heard Gwen yelling as she entered the place where he was.  
  
"Yeah," he gasped, "I'm OK."  
  
The ships made their way back to Abmbal and to the dock. When they got there, Gwen, León, and Reece (because Solana had rejoined her squad) found that Geoff had taken their transport by himself, leaving them sort of stranded.  
  
"OK, I'm gonna go get a rental, you two wait here," Gwen told the two tired Cadets in front of her. León and Reece rested on a bench near the dock while Gwen went to the nearest car rental. About thirty minutes later, Gwen rode up to them in a small car. The two men got in and they started the journey back to their base.  
  
The three reached their base in no time and walked to the front gate.  
  
"Good job you two, I bet you'll get good marks for this and probably a promotion," Gwen said and walked into the General's office to give her report.  
  
*I'd better get good marks for this! I saved Geoff's butt, my own, and managed to get out without becoming road kill* León thought, going to his barracks to take a shower and change into a less smelly uniform. Running across a town can make you sweat.  
  
(A/N: Long chapter, huh? I'm surprised I remembered as much as I did about it! Some things /are/ different, but I had to make them kinda realistic. Next chap. I promise some Seiftisy-ness and Squinoa-ness for all the fans out there! If you want to know where I get all the battle stuff, it's from watching Black Hawk Down! I've only seen it once, but those images just stick with me! Anyway, you know the drill, R&R please. I'll be your friend forever if you do!) 


End file.
